Partial oxidation (POX) carbon requires being transported from a bed of agglomerated POX carbon particles to a container, incinerator or other location which can be at a higher pressure than the pick-up location. Incineration of the POX carbon requires storage and subsequent transport of the POX carbon to the incinerator. POX carbon is a material with unusual properties. It is a powder which appears dry but consists of 80 to 90% free water contained inside a spherical structure of carbon. The powder is friable and easily separates when agglomerated particles are pulled apart. However, it behaves like a solid mass when pushed or compressed.
Because of its physical properties, conventional solid handling equipment that push or compress handled material cannot be used to handle POX carbon. Screw conveyors, drag chain conveyors, rotary feeders, and the like, have been found to cause the POX carbon to compress into a solid mass and, therefore, have not been able to provide reliable, plug free conveyance of the friable POX carbon material.